News Story

Workers in Franklin Hall who were removing windows that needed replacement have discovered higher-than-expected asbestos levels in the original construction materials, bringing the project to a temporary halt.

IU spokesman Mark Land said asbestos was found around the windows about two weeks ago. Further tests detected it in the construction dust, so the whole building will now be tested and a remediation plan will be put in place to clean possible contamination from surfaces. Asbestos was not found in the air, Land said.

“Testing continues in the building, and at this point there is no timetable for resumption of the project, which currently is a bit ahead of schedule,” Land said today. “The safety of IU employees, and those with which it contracts on projects such as this one, is of paramount concern to the university, and the project will not move forward until it is determined that it is safe for workers to return to the site.”

Land said IU has hired an asbestos abatement firm to the lead the cleanup “out of an abundance of caution.”

It’s not the first time asbestos has been found in Franklin Hall. As Franklin Hall Watch reported previously, asbestos and lead remediation have been integral to the project, with much of the late fall and early winter being devoted to cleaning up the building.

Both substances were used frequently in construction until the 1970s, and asbestos remediation has been a common occurrence in campus renovation projects, including in Assembly Hall, some residence halls and other buildings in the Old Crescent. 

Franklin Hall was completed in late 1907, with subsequent additions in the 1920s and 1950s. Work on the current renovation began last November. Since then, the building has been gutted, offices and classrooms have been framed in, the external masonry has been cleaned, and workers have begun installing a steel structure to support the glass roof of the central commons. 

Media School faculty, staff and students are scheduled to move into the building in summer 2016.